AAEP Position on Therapeutic Medication for the Competition Horse

The AAEP policy on medication in the competition horse is driven by our mission to improve the health and welfare of the horse. To this end, this policy is aimed at providing the best healthcare possible while ensuring the integrity of each discipline.

The majority of AAEP members work on horses competing in one of the many disciplines encompassing the activities of the sport horse. The veterinarian is typically directly involved in diagnosing and treating soundness and health issues. However, veterinarians may play a limited role in the area of medicating the horse at competitions because riders and trainers employ procedures and administer medications acquired from non-veterinary sources or from veterinarians at the horse show.

These disciplines are quite varied and are governed by sanctioning bodies with widely disparate rules and guidelines. It is, therefore, incumbent on the veterinarian providing care to the competition horse that they understand these rules and follow them carefully, especially as it concerns the health and wellbeing of the horse. Ultimately, in the interest of horse welfare, horses should compete on their own merits. Therefore, medications used for non-therapeutic purposes is a distortion of the spirit of competition.

The essential elements of AAEP policy concerning the veterinarians’ role regarding the horse in competition are as follows:

• The AAEP believes the welfare of the horse must be placed above the demands of competition and monetary or social gain.
• The AAEP strongly supports veterinary practitioner adherence to the ethical guidelines of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
• The AAEP recommends wherever possible to follow the principles of evidence-based medicine before proceeding with a treatment recommendation. The AAEP believes that treatment recommendations be based on a thorough knowledge of the horse’s condition based on previous and current examinations as well as appropriate diagnostic testing.
• The AAEP recommends all medical procedures and treatments be performed in the context of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
• The AAEP recommends a detailed medical record be completed for each examination, and all records should comply with the veterinary medical board requirements in the state where one practices.
• The AAEP recommends a horse’s history and medical records be shared between the horse’s primary veterinarian, consulting veterinarian, trainer and owners, as well as any veterinarian the owner chooses in order to provide a continuity of care.

The essential elements of AAEP policy concerning the veterinarians’ role in medication administration for the horse in competition are as follows:

• Veterinarians should refer clients’ questions regarding medication advice to the appropriate source such as the AQHA, FEI and USEF. It is recommended that these resources be made readily available to veterinarians, owners, riders and trainers from each of the sanctioning bodies.
• Organizations that have published drug regulations (AQHA, FEI, USEF) should be consulted by the sanctioning body of the equestrian competition which have no regulation on the use of medication for competition.
• US Equestrian (USEF) has a 12-hour rule that prohibits injections prior to competition with certain, well-defined exceptions. This rule should be adopted by other sanctioning bodies and promoted by the practitioner.
• Oral administration of various supplements containing a combination of electrolytes, amino acids and herbs are marketed and sold in large quantities to the performance horse owner/trainer with the advertised purpose to “quiet” the competition horse. The use of these supplements violates the spirit of the rules concerning the quieting of competition horses and the AAEP recommends that their use be discouraged by veterinarians.
• The use of medroxyprogesterone (MPA) should be discouraged for horses in competition. The AAEP has issued a statement opposing the use of MPA in competition horses and the USEF prohibits its use in their sanctioned events.
• Bisphosphonates in the competing horse should be used with discretion. Its use should be restricted to those forms of bisphosphonate that are labeled for use in horses, be administered as labeled by the manufacturer, and in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the event.
• In some disciplines, acepromazine is sometimes permitted to be used as a quieting agent. The AAEP discourages its use in competition.

Approved by AAEP board of directors in 2020.